Speed Cleaning Checklist and Tips

Speed cleaning our home when we have guests on the way or are just plain out of time juggling too much stuff, can be a daunting challenge.

But I have for you here some super clever speed cleaning tips and hacks from the professionals PLUS a speed cleaning checklist that will have your home guest-ready in under an hour.

These speed cleaning hacks really do work even if you're drowning in clutter and your cleaning routine hasn't happened anytime recently!

Do give them a go ...

1. Speed Cleaning Tips

My first speed cleaning tips are all about our cleaning mindset. If we don't get these straight in our head before we start we will waste time and make even more mess!!

Good Enough Will Have To Do

We all have a zillion and one things in our home that need cleaning. To speed clean successfully we have to consciously ignore most of them.

As clean as we can, will have to do.

That's hard to accept if guests are coming but remember friends and family do love us for who we are and not for our sparkly kitchen floor!!

Accepting this lets us focus on the key speed cleaning goals that actually make the most difference fast.

Very Focused Goals

Our key speed cleaning goals are :

1. Entrance hall
2. Living room
3. Downstairs bathrooms
4. Kitchen

If guests are coming to stay we have to add on guest bedrooms and bathrooms but always do 1 to 4 first.

In each key area we will focus on :

1. Obstacle courses on the floor
2. Clutter where people need to sit
3. Preventing disease!!

Which means we will NOT focus on :

• Vacuuming behind furniture
• Dusting all the shelves
• Wiping down baseboards
• Polishing ornaments
• Or other displacement activities.

This might seem blindingly obvious but it will not be - I assure you - to family members who will unless told otherwise believe it most helpful to play with the obstacle course in the hallway or alphabetically sort DVDs!!

Help With Speed Cleaning

Partners and kids can help with speed cleaning but only if we give them specific mini tasks to do that they can't misinterpret e.g. :

1. Empty kitchen trash outdoors and then replace the trash bag.
2. Clear the dishwasher of clean stuff and put everything away.
3. Make sure there is enough toilet paper in downstairs bathroom.

2. Speed Cleaning Checklist

If we stay focused, each job in this speed cleaning checklist only takes five minutes. So set a phone timer for each job and laser focus on that one task before starting the next:

1. Open windows to freshen air
2. Spritz downstairs toilets
3. Empty & fill dishwasher
4. Chuck old food out from fridge
5. Blitz clutter on kitchen surfaces
6. Wipe kitchen surfaces
7. Blitz clutter on hall floor
8. Blitz living room surface clutter
9. Empty trash outside
10. Vacuum downstairs
11. Wipe kitchen sink
12. Straighten sofa, plump cushions

1. Freshen Air

The best quick way to freshen fusty air is NOT dodgy air fresheners. Simply open as many windows as you can for genuine fresh air.

If it is cold and wet open them wide for 5 minutes and then either :

• Brew fresh coffee or
• Chuck chopped lemon in a pan of water on a very low heat.

Both are natural deodorants that make our home smell good fast.

2. Spritz Downstairs Toilets

Quickly spritz clean downstairs loos and wipe toilet seats and basin.

Check there is plenty of toilet paper and replace the hand towel!

3. Empty & Fill Dishwasher

Put away clean dishes then refill dishwasher with all dirty dishes so kitchen worktops and sink is clear. Do NOT put the dishwasher on.

4. Clear Fridge Of Old Food

Off food in the fridge will add to bad smells and the fear of poisoning guests always amps up anxiety!!

So quickly chuck out expired food and wipe down fridge surfaces.

5. Blitz Kitchen Surfaces

Now blitz any remaining clutter on kitchen surfaces including countertops, table, floors and chairs.

Trash anything you can instantly but use my speed cleaning hack below for blitzing surface clutter without blowing the 5 minutes on your timer.

6. Wipe Kitchen Surfaces

With all the kitchen surfaces clear we can now very quickly wipe down :

• Fridge doors
• Cupboard doors
• Countertops
• Table
• Oven top

Remember we are NOT deep cleaning the kitchen here so just use a micro fibre cloth and if you must an all purpose cleaning spray or a tiny squirt of dish soap on your cloth.

Don't wipe the sink for the moment - always leave to last - but do pick out scraps of food and trash them.

7. Blitz Hall Clutter

After the kitchen we hit the hall so guests can get in and out without tripping over that obstacle course!

Again use the clutter blitzing speed cleaning hack below to clear :

• Piles of shoes
• Coats
• School bags
• Random parcels
• Advertising fliers etc etc.

8. Blitz Living Room Clutter

Next hit the living room and again use the clutter blitzing speed clean hack to shift surface clutter from:

• Sofas
• Chairs
• Floor
• Coffee tables that will be used.

Remember we are NOT trying to ditch all our clutter - we are just clearing the surfaces that will be used.

9. Empty Trash Outside

Your trash bag can now go outside. Don't skip this one because it really is hard to make our home smell good - and welcoming - with skulking trash in the kitchen.

If the bottom of your trash can stinks - it does happen - bung half a cup of baking soda / bicarb in the bottom before putting a new trash bag in.

Baking soda is a natural deodorant for neutralising super stinky smells.

10. Vacuum Downstairs

We are now going to whizz the vacuum cleaner around downstairs at speed in just five minutes!

You've no time to mess with vacuum cleaner attachments so just use your main vacuum to go once over :

1. Bottom of stairs if have dustballs
2. Visible floor in centre of rooms
3. Any visible edges without furniture.

Do NOT go upstairs. Do NOT shift furniture around. Do NOT go under tables unless instantly accessible.

11. Wipe Kitchen Sink

We are so almost there now!!

And we're just going to very quickly clean the kitchen sink to get rid of grime and shameful horrid stains!

The very best way to thoroughly speed clean a grotty sink is simply :

1. Rinse sink down.
2. Squirt with dish soap & wipe.
3. Rinse down again.
4. Plonk a spoon or 2 of baking soda and a dollop of dish soap in sink.
5. Rub hard all over with a microfibre cloth or sponge scrubber.
6. Rinse down again.

12. Straighten Sofa & Cushions

OK clock is ticking. 5 minutes left!!

And all we are going to do is head for the living room and quickly :

1. Straighten sofas and chairs
2. Artfully toss throws
3. Plump up cushions.

And we are done!!

In just an hour we've succeeded in speed cleaning downstairs so we can sit down, relax and welcome guests.

If your guests are staying over then keep reading or jump ahead to the speed cleaning hacks below.

Guest Rooms

Instinctively we clean bedrooms first when people are coming to stay.

I've learned the hard way, don't.

If your living room and kitchen are clean and welcoming you can easily leave guests relaxing downstairs with a drink for 30 minutes whilst you speed clean guest rooms upstairs.

It doesn't work the other way round.

To speed clean guest rooms :

1. Open windows
2. Strip beds
3. Blitz clutter
4. Quickly dust surfaces
5. Vacuum
6. Wipe away mucky marks
7. Make beds
8. Shut windows.

If you are doing multiple rooms next to each other it can be quicker to do one job across all the rooms.

3. Speed Cleaning Hacks

Essential Equipment

One of the big secrets of speed cleaning successfully is using as little equipment as possible.

The essential equipment is :

1. 3 x cleaning cloths (1 each for kitchen, bathroom & living room)
2. All purpose cleaning spray
3. Big trash bags
4. Big box or bag for clutter
5. Vacuum cleaner
6. Baking soda
7. Dish soap

Best Speed Cleaning Products

Microfibre Cloths

I find microfibre or other good sized thick cleaning cloths the most useful when speed cleaning. They cut through grime and grease without the need for cleaning sprays etc.

Most professional cleaners use them.

Cordless Lightweight Vacuum

I am really not a bit gadget girl but I do think a good cordless lightweight vacuum cleaner is super helpful for staying on top of a daily cleaning routine and speed cleaning.

I have this British made cordless vacuum cleaner and it really has transformed my cleaning!

Blitzing Surface Clutter Fast

Many if not most of us have messy homes. Too often this means we run around like a headless chicken for an hour before guests are due and never actually get to the cleaning.

So I always use this speed cleaning hack to blitz surface clutter fast :

1. Gather together :
   • Bucket
   • Trash bag
   • Big basket, box or bag
2. Start in one corner of the room
3. Without moving your feet
4. Grab any clutter in reach
5. Instantly triage shoving :
   • Cups, food etc in bucket
   • Trash in trash bag
   • All else in basket / box / bag
6. Ignore clutter on shelves unless dishes or food, to speed clean we focus on working surfaces
7. Only move feet when all surface clutter in reach of you is cleared
8. When you make it across the room:
   • Put trash bag in bin
   • Hide clutter basket out of sight
   • Empty bucket in kitchen putting crockery in dishwasher you emptied earlier.

And hey presto, you're done!!

Now obviously this is NOT proper decluttering - I use the just 10 things method for that - but it does clear mess fast so you can speed clean your home for guests in an hour.

I hope the speed cleaning tips, hacks and checklist help your clean your home fast. But remember, any guests worth having WILL still love you, however sticky your kitchen floor!

For more simple cleaning hacks check out these posts :

• Simple Decluttering That Works
• Quick Natural Cleaning Recipes
• Declutter Your Garage Easily
• Natural Pest Control Tips

And follow me on Pinterest ...

Photo: Female hand in gloves with sponge and soap foam on dark background by Marco Verch and Rainbow sponge by rawpixel.com under Creative Commons 2.0